THE EGYPTIAN BELIEF ABOUT THE AFTERLIFE.

The ancient Egyptians had a very elaborated beliefs about the afterlife. They were very aware about the life-force (ka) that every human possessed at the time of birth. Life on earth was the school of learning about how to maintain or increase the power of this incredible force.
The beliefs and rituals were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society and they were centered on the person's interaction with the forces of good and evil who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces of nature. Prayers and offerings were a way of communication with these forces of good and evil and gain their favor.
The religious practice formed a force centered on the pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, who possessed a divine power by virtue of their position. The pharaoh acted as the intermediary between their people and the supernatural forces and was obligated to sustain them through rituals and offerings so that they could maintain order in the universe.
To the ancient Egyptians, the end of life marked the start of a challenging journey. They had to earn their way into the afterlife by practicing a virtuous life while they were alive. The more good they did, the lighter their heart would become. If the heart, by chance, was not light at the point of death then the individual was forbidden to board the boat of Ra and sail away into the Afterlife, and be stuck in the tomb forever. After sailing on the boat, the individual gained a free pass, and its soul could come and go. To avoid any chance of trickery, the goddess Maat was in charge of weighing the heart after a person died.
There are two other requirements a person had to satisfy before the soul enter to the Afterlife. Not only the heart have to be light, a person also had to have its Name written down somewhere, and he/she had to have a preserved body.
The ancient Egyptians believed that the soul was split in two parts after a person died. One part (Ba) was kept flying off every morning to keep watch over the individual's living family. The other part (Ka) was kept flying off every morning to the Land of Two Fields, to enjoy the Afterlife. Both parts of the soul returned each night to its tomb, so the individual would get some sleep. In the morning, the cycle started again. If something happened to the preserved body, or if the name of the individual was not written down somewhere, the two parts of the soul would get lost on their way home, disappearing along the way. The individual would never again be able to watch over the family affairs, or be able to enjoy the afterlife.
Many of the best known relics from Egypt such as the pyramids, the tombs, and the mummies, reveal time and resources that these ancient people prepared to spend to ensure a successful afterlife.
In the course of Egyptian history popular tradition grew more prominent as the status of the pharaoh declined after its 3,000 years of exercising power, leaving behind many writings and monuments, along with significant influences on ancient and modern cultures.